Granite

If you must have granite you can knock off 20% of the price by choosing square edges instead of bullnosed or curved detail. Greys, whites, blacks and earthy tones are 1/3 the price of rare colors. If you have small areas to do check out the remnant area to save 50% or more.

Copper Roofing

Most commodities, especially copper, are in a long term bull market so a copper roof on a bay window can run $3,000 or more. You can save 1/3 of that by purchasing a prefab roof through decoroof.com and proofroof.com. The savings come from labor because the prefab can be installed by the contractor or window installer.

Tub

The thought of relaxing in a jetted tub is pleasant, but in reality how much does a person actually use the jets. Also keeping the jets clean and sanitized is a lot of trouble. You can enjoy soaking in a tub and forget about the extra hassle of cleaning by buying the same 6’ soaker tub that may cost $1300 compared to $3,200 for a whirlpool model. The ones to look for have slanted backs with overflow valve 16” high. Look at salvage yards for a vintage tub reglazed and ready to install.

Picture Windows

It is cheaper to string together several double hung windows than to purchase a large picture window. An added advantage is that you can open them all. Savings can be up to 50%.

Built-in Media Center

You can design a media center at your local cabinet store out of stock kitchen cabinets. A mix of standard 24” wall cabinets, open shelves and vanity drawer bases in the center, with some narrow pantry cabinets on the side works well. Crown moldings, glass doors and filler strips can make it look custom built and save 30-50%.